Spain summons French ambassador over wine attack

Spain’s foreign ministry summoned the French ambassador Wednesday after French farmers seized Spanish lorries and drained their cargo of wine.

The French wine makers attacked Spanish trucks on Monday at a toll barrier in southwestern France, pouring the equivalent of 90,000 bottles down the drain, in what they said was a protest against "unfair competition" because of lower Spanish prices.

The Spanish government says it reported the incident to the European Commission.

"Spain has already officially passed on its protest to the French authorities, and urges them to adopt all appropriate measures to guarantee, with absolute security, the free movement of people and goods, one of the basic principles of the European Union," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Frederic Rouanet, president of the winemakers' union of the French region of Aude, vowed to continue the protests. Protesters were protecting their products from cheap wine coming from Spain and Italy, he told AFP.